Matrix universality of gauge and gravitational dynamics

Understand

A simple cubic matrix model is presented, which has truncations that, it is argued, lead at the classical level to a variety of theories of gauge fields and gravity.

• These include Chern-Simons theory in d=3, and BF theory and general relativity in d=4.
• General relativity coupled to Yang-mills theory for any SU(N) may also arise from quantum corrections.
• On the basis of these results we conjecture that there are large universality classes of cut-off gauge and gravity theories, connected by transformations that mix up local and spacetime symmetries.